RISHI'S BLAST
I was right about Liz Truss & it’ll be same with Starmer – he’ll wreck economy & everyone will suffer, warns Rishi Sunak
The PM told The Sun's election showdown that he wants to stop Labour bringing in tax rises
RISHI Sunak warned families their finances will be wrecked if he is booted out of office as he declared: "I warned you about Liz Truss - watch out for Sir Keir".
The Prime Minister issued a stinging attack on his predecessor and potential successor saying the economy is at risk if he leaves Downing Street next week.
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The major intervention came as he was probed during The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show last night in front of our loyal army of readers.
His comments come as inflation has returned to its target of 2 per cent and he insists the economy has turned a corner.
He said last night: “I was right then when I warned about Liz Truss and that’s why all of you can trust me now when I also warn about the damage that Keir Starmer would do to our economy.
“In that election, everyone said I was going to lose, I was saying something that no-one wanted to hear, but I was saying it because I believed it, and I’m telling you again now, it all seems a bit familiar, if Keir Starmer’s your prime minister the economy is going to suffer and all of you are going to suffer.
“I don’t want to see that happen. That’s why I’m carrying on going every day at this election, I believe in what I’m saying and I want to stop those tax rises happening for all of you.”
In our election showdown clash tonight:
- Rishi Sunak claimed “Keir Starmer won't tell you what he's going to do” - because you won’t like it
- The PM said he's "incredibly angry" about the Tory election betting scandal
- Keir Starmer was hammered by Sun readers over Jeremy Corbyn but heaped praise on Boris Johnson
- The Labour leader saw his plans to beat the small boats crisis blasted by hecklers
- Starmer insisted he will meet with JK Rowling to thrash out trans and gender rights in a bombshell statement
- Sunak claimed that he was one of the first to raise the alarm on Liz Truss's plans in 2022
The PM came out fighting to remind the public about his predecessor’s 49-day nightmare stay in Number 10 that saw mortgage rates soaring after the fateful mini-Budget.
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Liz Truss beat the former Chancellor after a summer contest where he accused his rival of “fairytale economics” by promising unfunded tax cuts.
Speaking to The Sun’s Political Editor Harry Cole, Mr Sunak said: “I spent a summer a couple of summers’ ago saying that what Liz Truss was proposing was wrong, and I was behind.
“And everyone said to me, ‘why are you bothering? Why are you still talking about this? No one wants to hear what you have to say.’ I kept talking about it every day of that because I believed in what I was saying.”
Mr Sunak pointed out to the audience and viewers watching on The Sun’s YouTube channel that he was only in office due to Liz Truss - who he labelled a “mistake”.
He said: “It’s been a very difficult few years. We’ve had COVID, the war in Ukraine.
“And I actually got this job as a result of something that was a mistake, I was very clear about it on the first day. This election is about the future, as frustrated as people might be.
“This is not a by-election. This is not a referendum on the past. This is about future and the choice for everyone is clear.”
The Tories have been desperate to put tax and the economy at the heart of the election campaign inisting families will be paying an extra £2,000 over the course of the next four years.
The Prime Minister successfully put Sir Keir on the backfoot over the tax bill during the first leader’s debate in Manchester at the start of the campaign.
But the attacks were quickly curtailed when he came back from D-Day commemorations in Normandy, northern France, causing a major row.
He added: “I’m telling you again now, all seems a bit familiar. If Keir Starmer is your Prime Minister, the economy is going to suffer, and all of you are going to suffer.
“I don’t want to see that happen. That’s why I’m carrying on going every day in this election. I believe in what I’m saying, and I want to stop those tax rises.”
Appearing first in the live debate, he was first probed on his own performance since taking the job in October 2022.
Within months he set out his five key pledges that included halving inflation, stopping the boats and reducing NHS waiting times.
He said: “I made sure we could restore economic security and tackle the cost of living. You can judge me.
“ I want to be very transparent about what I’m wanting to do for you - and the first of those was bringing down inflation. That is a sign of progress.”
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Audience member Linda pushed him on nearly 100,000 people being behind in their mortgage payments.
He added: “All of this is about giving you financial security, which is why I want to keep cutting taxes so they have more money at the end.
“Now that we’ve got the economy in a better place... everyone in work is getting a tax cut that’s worth about £900 on average.
“And if I’m reelected we’re gonna go further and we’re gonna keep cutting your taxes at every stage in your life.”
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Mr Sunak also said he didn’t regret calling an election early despite not being able to close the gap with Labour - and falling behind Reform in some polls.
When pushed on whether another six months could have helped the party’s fortunes, he said: “No because when I got this job, my number one priority was to get the economy in a strong position.
“And that’s what we’ve been able to do over the last 18 months, get inflation back to target and the economy growing, wages rising, energy bills falling.
“So this is the moment for you to decide what future you want. And I want you to have the opportunity.”
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He also said it was “not right” that the country hasn’t made progress in the past 14 years and pointed to the education system with youngsters being the best in the western world.
Mr Sunak last night attended a campaign event in Chelsea, west London, saying there are just “ten days to save Britain” from Labour entering government for a decade.
